GOP Governors Privately Urging Congress To Reconsider Full Obamacare Repeal

They warn that their states would suffer, in some cases badly, without the Medicaid expansion.

As congressional Republicans move forward on plans to quickly repeal and ― less quickly ― replace President Barack Obama’s health care law, a wide variety of industry and political influencers are trying to slow their progress. Among the most persuasive may be a set of Republican governors who are fearful about losing the substantial health and monetary benefits from the law that their states currently enjoy.

On Friday morning, Politico reported on five such GOP governors who have been publicly calling on lawmakers to consider keeping the portion of the Affordable Care Act that supports the expansion of Medicaid in states that choose to.

Behind the scenes, these same governors are also working to persuade lawmakers from their states and those who have purview over the repeal and replace strategy that it would be wise to keep some portion of the federal matching funds for states that have pursued Medicaid expansion.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), for one, is set to meet with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) as well as other committee members next week to discuss his concerns about full repeal, a source close to Kasich confirmed. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R), meanwhile, has been in talks with members of Michigan’s delegation as well as President-elect Donald Trump’s transition staff about maintaining his state’s Medicaid expansion program.

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